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2020 Budget: Kedah allocates more than RM24 million for environment

Datuk Seri Mukhriz Tun Dr Mahathir

ALOR SETAR, Oct 20 -- The Kedah government is allocating RM24.42 million to the State Forestry Department to improve its management, redevelopment of forest reserve areas and upgrade facilities in forest recreational areas.

Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Mukhriz Tun Mahathir said such measures had to be taken following the government’s decision to cease logging activities in the Ulu Muda Forest Reserve, which resulted in a drop in the state’s revenue.

“The state government has applied for contribution from the federal government for the loss of revenue and plans to widen the water catchment area in the Ulu Muda Forest Reserve,” he said when tabling the State Budget at the State Assembly sitting here today.

He said the state government proposed an additional 33,893.6 hectares, which would bring the total water catchment area in the Ulu Muda Forest Reserve to 50,122.3 hectares.

Apart from that, the menteri besar said the state government would also gazette an area covering ​​8,190.8 hectares in the Bukit Saiong Forest Reserve in Sik as a water catchment area.

Meanwhile, on efforts to encourage the use of solar-generated power, Mukhriz said the state government would allow companies to set up solar farms on agricultural land without having to change the land status.

Global energy investment expected to fall by record 20 percent in 2020 due to COVID-19 – IEA

MOSCOW, May 27 -- The world’s investment in the energy sector is projected to plummet by a record-high 20 percent year-on-year in 2020 as a consequence of the energy crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak, Sputnik news agency quoted the International Energy Agency (IEA) as saying on Wednesday.